Yarn treating compositions



United States Patent 3,297,570 YARN TREATING COMPOSITIONS Charles Clayton White and Roscoe Fulmer Neighbors, both of Kingsport, Tenn, assignors to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey N0 Drawing. Filed May 28, 1964, Ser. No. 371,120 8 Claims. (Cl. 252-83) This invention relates to compositions for the treatment and conditioning of textile fibers, filaments, yarns and tow including those composed of synthetic fiber-forming compositions such as poly-1,4-cyclohexanedimethylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate, modified polyacrylic resins, polyamides, polyolefins, cellulose acetate and cellulose triacetate, in order to minimize the retention of electrostatic charges and to provide the required balance of frictional characteristics necessary during the various stages of textile processing of such fibers, filaments, yarns and tow.

It is well known that textile fibers tend to accumulate electrostatic charges during various textile processing operations such as spinning, twisting, winding, carding, drawing, and other processing operations. This buildup of electrostatic charges interferes with satisfactory processing of such fibers on textile equipment and numerous compositions have been devised as a result of efforts to find a solution to this problem. A satisfactory composition must not only provide the fiber material with the desired frictional characteristics for satisfactory drawing, roving and spinning operations, but also give the material the necessary antistatic properties.

It is also well known in the art that when polyester blends are prepared with hydrophilic fibers, such as cotton, viscose and modified cellulosics, it is necessary to apply to such fibers compositions which can effectively con trol static at levels of application of the composition from about 0.10 to about 0.20 percent on the weight of the fiber material. This level of application is desirable or indeed necessary in order to minimize sticking of the treated fibers to processing equipment, especially equipment employed in carding, drawing, roving, and spinning operations. For example, lubricating and antistatic compositions which have high viscosity and are sticky cause an excessive number of ends down in spinning and roving. Furthermore, most textile spinning frames are fitted with suction systems which pull the spun yarn into this apparatus instead of allowing an end of the yarn to wrap around the roll when a break in the spun yarn is encountered. As a result, when an end breaks in spinning, it wraps the roll instead of going into the suction system if a lubricating composition having high viscosity or characterized by stickiness has been applied to the yarn prior to processing on the spinning frame. This is obviously disadvantageous since it requires corrective procedures which increase the labor cost of the spinning operation.

In addition to the above considerations the lubricant or treating composition should be of such a composition that it will not corrode any of the textile equipment. It should also properly wet out the yarn so that the composition will spread uniformly over the fiber surface. This property is particularly important in carding, since nonuniformity of wetting results in the occurrence of heavy spots of lubricant on the fiber which causes card loading. As will be set forth hereinafter, we have found new yarn treating formulations which exhibit markedly improved characteristics over other compositions heretofore used in treating or conditioning synthetic yarns.

This invention has as its principal object to provide lubricating compositions for textile fibers which allow processing of fibers, filamentsand yarn treated therewith 3,2975% Patented Jan. 10, 1967 on all types of conventional textile equipment and the processing of the treated material in a manner that is essentially free of difficulties due to accumulation of electrostatic charges on the fibers.

A further object is to provide yarn treating compositions which, when applied to synthetic fibers, particularly polyester fibers, at levels as low as 0.10 to 0.15 percent of the weight of the fiber, give the fiber material the desired antistatic characteristics.

Another object is to provide a yarn treating composition which will minimize the tendency of textile fibers to accumulate electrostatic charges, especially when the composition is applied to the synthetic fiber component of blends of synthetic fibers such as polyester fibers, with various hydrophilic fibers such as cotton, viscose and modified cellulosics.

Another object is to provide a composition which provides a satisfactory balance of fiber-to-metal and fiber-tofiber friction so that satisfactory processing characteristics of the yarn to which'it is applied are obtained in the various textile operations to which such treated yarn is thereafter subjected.

A further object is to provide a yarn treating composition which is not tacky and sticky so that a yarn to which it is applied can be successfully processed on various types of textile machinery and will undergo a minimum number .of roll laps or other mechanical difliculties during such processing.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

These objects are accomplished by the following invention which resides in the provision of a composition which, when applied to textile fibers, filaments, yarns and tow, particularly those composed of or containing synthetic fiber-forming compositions such as poly-1,4-cyclohexanedimethylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate, modified polyacrylic resins, polyamides, polyolefins, cellulose acetate and cellulose triacetate, will minimize the accumulation and retention thereon of electrostatic charges and will provide the required balance of frictional characteristics necessary for the successful processing of such fibers, filaments, yarns and tow in such operations as spinning, twisting, winding, carding, drawing and the like. We have found that a composition containing as its essential lubricating and antistatic component the product formed by the interaction of 45-65 parts by weight of an equimolar mixture of monoand dilauryl acid phosphates and 35-55 parts by weight of diethylaminoethoxyethanol will contribute the desired antistatic and frictional properties to such fiber material, either alone, or in admixture with hydrophilic fibers such as cotton, viscose and modified cellulosics and other types of natural and synthetic fibers. When these components interact a complex salt is formed which is the essential lubricating and antistatic component of the composition.

The diethylaminoethoxyethanol component of our novel yarn treating compositions may be prepared by condensing diethylaminoethanol with 1 to 4 moles of ethylene oxide and the product may be represented by the following structural formula:

wherein n: l4

The preferred mixture of amines for use in compositions which will accomplish the above stated objects of our invention is one composed of percent by weight of a compound of the above structural formula in which n=1 and 25 percent by weight of a compound in which 11:2. It is to be understood that this mixture of amines is what is referred to in the description and claims as diethylaminoethoxyethanol.

As indicated above, we have found that this antistatic amine salt component not only greatly reduces the tendency of various types of hydrophilic fibers to acquire excessive electrostatic charges during the numerous textile processing operations to which such fibers are subjected in the manufacture of desired textile end products, but also effectively controls this tendency in blends of such hydrophilic fibers with various synthetic fibers, particularly those composed of polyesters.

The employment of the diethylaminoethoxyethanol component in preparing compositions in accordance with our invention has the advantage over the employment of amines heretofore used in a similar relationship in the preparation of yarn treating, as for example, that the diethylaminoethoxyethanol component forms a mixture of salts with monoand dilauryl acid phosphates which, when applied to various textile fibers, particularly fibers composed of synthetic materials such as polyesters, will give them, not only antistatic properties comparable or superior to those heretofore obtainable by application to such material of the commonly employed diethanolamine and triethanolamine salts of lauryl acid phosphate, but also has the distinct advantage of giving our improved compositions much lower viscosity and tackiness. This results in reduced stickiness of the treated fiber material and fewer roll laps of textile processing equipment. The antistatic and lubricating compositions of our invention have the further advantages of being non-corrosive with respect to textile equipment employed to work the fiber and having no toxic effects on the operators employed to run such equipment.

We have found that the lubricating qualities of our antistatic composition can be further improved by the addition of a 55 SUS viscosity mineral oil in such an amount that the total composition will contain 1060 percent by weight of this component. Also, for those textile processing operations which require the drafting of fibers in a ratio of at least 32 to 1, such as textile spinning operations, it is advantageous to add a polyethoxylated castor oil to the extent that the composition will contain 525 percent of this material. Likewise sorbitan monostearate may be added to our antistatic and lubricating compositions in a similar amount to provide that smooth and uniform drafting characteristics will be imparted to the yarn treated with the composition. We have also found that the use of polyethoxylated castor oil and sorbitan monostearate tends to decrease lubricant migration to hydrophilic fibers when the composition is applied to blends of synthetic fibers, especially polyester fibers, with hydrophilic fibers such as cotton, viscose and the like. For those textile operations requiring low fiberto-metal friction characteristics, it is also desirable to add to our antistatic yarn treating compositions a polyethoxylated stearic acid in an amount corresponding to 50 percent of the composition.

In order to improve the keeping qualities of our yarn treating compositions we have found that it is desirable to add a component that functions as both a bactericide and a fungicide. For this purpose we have found 0- phenylphenol to serve the purpose very well when added in amounts corresponding to 0.5 percent to 4 percent based on the total weight of the yarn treating composition. It is to be noted that the function of this material is strictly as a bactericide and fungicide and does not in any way alter the antistatic and lubricating characteris tics of our yarn treating compositions. In other words, while adding this component to such compositions is desirable as a precautionary measure it can be left out entirely if desired.

The antistatic and lubricating compositions of our invention may be prepared by blending the several ingredients in any desired manner. The ingredients will preferably be in the liquid state to faclhtate thorough mixing which may be carried out using any appropriate mixing device such as a Lightnin mixer. Any components which are solids at room temperature should be brought into a molten or liquid condition by application of heat so that they may be readily mixed with or dispersed in other components which are normally liquid at room temperature. v

Our antistatic and lubricating compositions are completely soluble or dispersible in water and may be applied to the fiber or yarn as aqueous emulsions by any convenient method of application as by immersion or by wick, roll, spray, or any other convenient method.

In the following examples and description we have set forth several of the preferred embodiments of our invention but they are included merely for purposes of illustration and not as a limitation thereof.

Example I A 1.5 d./f., 1.5 inch polyethylene terephthalate staple fiber was treated with 0.14 percent, based on the weight of the fiber, of an antistatic and lubricating composition composed of:

Percent by weight Mixture of monoand di-lauryl acid phosphates 55 Diethylaminoethoxyethanol 45 The lubricated fiber processed satisfactorily on the cotton system which included operations such as picking, carding, drawing, roving and spinning. Static was exceptionally well controlled with minimum occurrence of roll lapping and card loading.

Example II A polyethylene terephthalate 1.5 d./f., 1.5 inch staple fiber, was treated with 0.12 percent, based on the weight of the fiber, of the following antistatic and lubricating composition:

Percent by weight Equimolar mixtures of monoand di-lauryl acid phosphates -s 55.7 Diethylaminoethoxyethanol 41.3 o-Phenyl phenol 3.0

The lubricated fiber was processed as in Example I. In this case, as in Example I, static was well controlled.

Example III Example IV The following antistatic and lubricating composition Was applied to a 1.5 d./f., 1.5 inch staple fiber composed of percent polyethylene terephthalate to the extent of 0.15 percent on the weight of the fiber:

Percent b Mineral oil 55 SUS 3 Mixture of monoand di-lauryl acid phosphate 18.7 Diethylaminoethoxyethanol 13.6

o-Phenyl phenol 2 5 Oleyl alcohol 7:7 Eethoxylated sorbitan monolaurate 2 5 Sorbitan monostearate 9 0 Polyethoxylated castor oil 6:0

The treated fiber processed exceptionally well through vanous stages of cotton system processing, with excellent control of static. The treated fiber also exhibited exceptionally good drafting properties in roving and spinning.

Example V When the composition of Example IV was applied to the polyester component of blends containing 65 percent by weight of 1.5 d./f., 1.5 inch polyethylene terephthalate staple fiber and 35 percent by weight cotton or to the polyester component of 50-50 blends of polyethylene terephthalate fiber and viscose staple of the same denier and the fibers appropriately blended and the blends thereafter processed on the cotton system, similar results were obtained as in the preceding examples. When samples of these fibers were aged for a'number of days after blending and then processed, static was found to be well controlled.

In producing a spun yarn having a yarn count of 26/1 prepared from the above mentioned 65-35 polyethylene terephthalate-cotton blend, in which the polyester component was treated with the composition described above, the ends down in spinning per thousand spindle hours was only five, a very satisfactory range for the yarn count used, since in standard mill practice twenty ends down per thousand spindle hours would be considered acceptable. Specifically, the number of ends down in spinning which failed to go into the vacuum dofiing system employed in producing the spun yarn here described was approximately percent overall as compared with 60 percent in employing a standard commercial lubricated fiber of the same denier.

Example VI The following lubricating and antistatic composition was applied to 1.5 d./f., 1.5 inch polyethylene terephthalate staple fiber to the extent of 0.13 percent on the weight of the fiber by immersing the fiber in a 0.1 percent aqueous solution of the following:

Percent by weight Ethoxylated stearic acid 37 Mixture of monoand di-lauryl acid phosphate Diethylaminoethoxyethanol 25 o-Phenyl phenol 3 The lubricated fiber gave exceptionally good control of static through all textile processing operations on the cotton system. Roll laps in spinning were very low and were excellent for this type yarn.

Example VII The following antistatic and lubricating composition was applied to 3 d./f. modacrylic staple fiber at approximately 0.6 percent on the weight of the fiber:

The lubricated fiber processed exceptionally well when processed on the cotton system as described in the preceding examples. Static was very satisfactorily controlled through all textile operations.

Our new fiber and yarn antistatic and lubricating compositions when applied to synthetic fibers as herein described have many advantages among which may be mentioned minimizing build up of electrostatic charges on these hydrophobic fibers even when applied at levels of as little as 0.10 percent on the weight of the fiber. The advantage of using such a low lubricant level and still gaining control of static will be evident to those skilled in the art since the use of such small amounts of oil results, among other things, in far fewer instances of lickerin and cylinder loading during the carding operation. Furthermore, since our improved fiber treating compositions make possible the use of these low oil levels, this also results in fewer instances of roll wraps in drawing and spinning operations.

A most important use of polyester fibers is in the production of fabrics prepared from blends of polyester fibers and'various types of hydrophilic fibers. Our yarn treating compositions have been found to have the outstanding advantage of not migrating from the polyester fiber to the hydrophilic fiber material during the necessary textile processing steps. Thus, such fibers treated with our improved compositions readily acquire and retain the desired antistatic properties. In addition, it is well known in the art that difficulties arise in the processing of blends of polyester fibers and cotton fibers on the cotton system as, for example, the tendency of spun yarn prepared from such blends to wrap the rolls during the spinning operation. When an end breaks in spinning, theoretically it should be drawn immediately into a vacuum system which prevents the end from wrapping the rolls. If this does not occur, extra labor is required to cut the yarn off the rolls. An unexpected advantage of our new lubricating and antistatic composition is that of greatly increasing the number of ends which go into the vacuum dofiing system instead of wrapping the rolls and thus increasing labor costs. These compositions have a marked improvement in this respect over compositions previously known to the art.

A further novel feature of our improved compositions is that they are not tacky or sticky and for this reason alone give rise to much fewer roll laps in drawing, roving and spinning than has been found with previously employed fiber treating compositions. The compositions are also light in color, have excellent heat stability and are readily scourable from the fiber material in the necessary dyeing and finishing operations.

The yarn treating compositions when applied as herein described also result in a treated fiber which has superior drafting characteristics as compared to fibers treated with previously known compositions since an excellent balance of fiber-to-fiber cohesion and fiber-to-metal friction is achieved by their use. Fibers treated with these compositions also give excellent sliver uniformity in the carding and drawing since good can builds are obtained during these operations.

Although we do not confine ourselves to any theory of operation of our invention, we believe that the efficacy of our fiber treating compositions is due to the employment therein of the diethylaminoethoxyethanol salts of lauryl acid phosphates in place of the triethanolamine, diethanolamine and other salts of lauryl acid phosphates commonly employed in such fiber treating compositions. It is our belief, based on extensive laboratory and commercial operation, that the performance of the diethylaminoethoxyethanol salts give our improved compositions an outstanding advantage of improved static control at low oil levels and less stickiness and tackiness and that these advantages directly result in fewer roll wraps and other mechanical difficulties in spinning, drawing and various other textile processing steps;

Although the invention has been described in considerable detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention as described hereinabove, and as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A textile yarn lubricating and antistatic composition comprising as its essential lubricating and antistatic component the product formed by the interaction of 45 parts by weight of an equimolar mixture of monoand dilauryl acid phosphates and 35-55 parts by weight of dimethylaminoethoxyethanol.

2. The composition of claim 1 which contains 0.5 percent to 4 percent, based on the total weight of the composition, of o-phenylphenol as a bactericide and fungicide.

3. A textile yarn lubricating and antistatic composition Percent by Weight Monoand dilauryl acid phosphates (equimolar mixture) 55.7 Diethylaminoethoxyethanol 41.3 o-Phenylphenol 3.0

6. A textile yarn lubricating and antistatic composition comprising:

Percent by weight Mineral oil (535 SUS) 40.0 Monoand dilauryl acid phosphate (equirnolar mixture) 18.7 Diethylaminoethoxyethanol 13.6

o-Phenyl phenol 2.5 Oleyl alcohol 7.7 Ethoxylated sorbitan monolaurate 2.5 Sorbitan monostearate 9.0 Polyethoxylated castor oil 6.0

7. A textile yarn lubricating and antistatic composition comprising:

Percent by weight Ethoxylated stearic acid 37 Monoand dilauryl acid phosphate (equirnolar mixture) Diethylaminoethoxyethanol 25 o-Phenylphenol 3 8. A textile yarn lubricating and antistatic composition comprising:

Percent by Weight Mineral oil-55 SUS 30 Monoand dilauryl acid phosphate (equimolar mixture) 19 Diethylaminoethoxyethanol 19 Oleyl alcohol 3 Sorbitan monostearate 9 Polyethoxylated castor oil 6 Ethoxylated sorbitan monolaurate 4 Ethoxylated lauryl amine 10 References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,344,67l 3/1944 Bertsch 2528.6 2,565,403 8/1951 Sproule et al. 2528.7 2,575,399 11/1951 Seymour et al. 2528.8 2,805,992 9/1957 Fortess et al. 2528.8 2,839,464 6/1958 Sproule et al. 2528.9 2,853,451 9/1958 Fortess et al. 2528.8 2,865,855 12/1958 Chandler 2528.9 2,956,949 10/1960 White et al. -c 2528.6 3,161,594 12/1964 White et al. 25289 3,198,732 8/1965 Olney 2528.9

OTHER REFERENCES Chemical Abstracts, vol. 49, June-July 1955 (col. 8982 (a to b), relied on).

SAMUEL H. BLECH, Primary Examiner.

JULIUS GREENWALD, Examiner.

I. T. FEDIGAN, Assistant Examzner. 

1. A TEXTILE YARN LUBRICATING AND ANTISTATIC COMPOSITION COMPRISING AS ITS ESSENTIAL LUBRICATING AND ANTISTATIC COMPONENT THE PRODUCT FORMED BY THE INTERACTION OF 4565 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF AN EQUIMOLAR MIXTURE OF MONO- AND DILAURYL ACID PHOSPHATES AND 35-55 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF DIMETHYLAMINOETHOXYETHANOL. 